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MAN CITY ICON LAPORTE FOLLOWS "CRAZY" BELLEGO'S CAREER

French racer David Bellego has revealed old friend and Manchester City football icon Aymeric Laporte follows his fortunes on the track, but thinks the Sheffield star is “crazy.” The pair went to school together in south west France, with Laporte now one of the Premier League’s top defenders for champions Man City, as well as representing the Spanish national side. Meanwhile, Bellego is breaking new ground in the speedway world for France after leading his country to their first-ever world team final in the 2021 FIM Speedway of Nations. He looks set to lead France into their first-ever FIM Speedway World Cup tournament in Wroclaw from July 25-29. While Laporte plies his trade at the Etihad Stadium, Bellego will be racing just across the Pennines at Sheffield’s Owlerton home in the SGB Premiership this summer. He admits Laporte may pay him a visit when he makes the trip to Manchester to face Belle Vue, and Bellego says the pair follow each other’s progress in two very different sports. He told Speedway Star: “Aymeric and I were at school together, so we have been friends for some time now. We were in the same class and year. We played football together a lot at school. “Obviously I’m doing my thing and he is doing his thing. But he actually follows what I do, and I see how he is getting on at Manchester City. “I have a very good mate who is his best friend. So he kept saying when I come to race in Manchester, he will come and watch. “So a couple of years ago I was at Belle Vue for Swindon and Aymeric came to watch. We went back to his house afterwards and we had some food. "He was meant to come back for the Speedway of Nations, but his schedule was too busy that weekend. I think he will come back to see me this season now. “Every time he watches me, he tells me that ‘you are crazy.’ But he also loves bikes. He’s a very humble guy. “I was good at football. I’m not going to say I could sign for a club, but I always wanted to race bikes!”

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NIELSEN: COACHING DANES WAS FULL-TIME JOB FOR ME

Danish legend Hans Nielsen believes combining racing and running the national side will be no easy task for Nicki Pedersen. The triple Speedway GP world champion replaces four-time world champion Nielsen as Danish team manager ahead of the FIM Speedway World Cup’s return in Wroclaw from July 25-29. Nielsen – winner of 22 individual and world team titles as a rider – took charge of the Danes in 2016, winning two FIM Speedway of Nations bronze medals, before stepping down shortly before his team took fourth place in last year’s FIM SON Final at Vojens on July 30. Four-time FIM SWC winner Pedersen will lead the preparations for this summer’s FIM SWC along with Nielsen’s former assistant coach Henrik Moller, and could even ride in the tournament, having named himself on the Elite B squad list. Alongside his new managerial commitments, Pedersen will be racing for Danish club Holsted, Polish PGE Ekstraliga team Grudziadz and British side Peterborough. He is also starring in reality TV show, Team Pedersen, which features his family, on Denmark’s Kanal 5 and Discovery+. With so much on his plate, Nielsen admits he is surprised Denmark’s Motor Union appointed an active rider for what he feels is a deceptively demanding role. He said: “Obviously I was surprised that they picked someone who was riding at the same time. I know how busy I have been, and I feel like it has been a full-time job. I find it hard to see how he has time to do it at the same time as riding. “But obviously that’s their choice and they feel they can make it work. It’s important that he has Henrik Moller as an assistant because he is going to be a little busier than he was before with Nicki having to ride too. There probably will be more for Henrik to look after. “When I took the job, I didn’t think it would be too hard, but it was certainly a lot more work than I expected. I think Nicki will find it the same way." Nielsen admits Pedersen’s role as an active rider could also have its advantages over a team manager who may have retired many years ago or one who has never competed on two wheels. He said: “The fact he’s still riding means he’s right in there when it comes to equipment. Hopefully that can be an advantage in some cases, and he can help the team out.”

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HOLDER: TIME FOR NEXT AUSSIE GENERATION TO SHINE

FIM Speedway of Nations world champion Jack Holder is backing a new generation of Aussie stars to emerge following Jason Doyle’s decision to step down from the national side. Holder joined forces with Speedway GP rival Max Fricke to end Australia’s 20-year wait for a world team title when they beat Great Britain in the FIM SON Grand Final at Vojens on July 30. Former world champion Jason Doyle competed in the Semi-Final but didn’t take to the track in the Final as team manager Mark Lemon kept faith with Holder and Fricke. Doyle recently announced his retirement from national team duty, handing the gauntlet to a new generation of Aussies to go for FIM Speedway World Cup gold in Polish city Wroclaw from July 25-29. With five riders needed as the FIM SWC returns for the first time since 2017, the likes of Brady Kurtz, Rohan Tungate, Sam Masters and Jaimon Lidsey will be fighting for places, along with 2012 world champion Chris Holder. Holder is still confident the Roos have the firepower to push for a team-title double. Asked about Doyle’s decision to step down, he said: “That’s his own decision and obviously he can do what he likes. He has been there for a while now and it’s his choice to step down. “It’s the time when we needed every Australian as we go back to the SWC format. But it opens up the door for a few other youngsters and it should be good. We are Australian and we always fight to the death. There are plenty of options. We have plenty of depth in Australian speedway. There are a few of us over there wanting to represent our country.” Lublin and Sheffield star Holder can’t wait for the chance to swap his Speedway GP and club kevlars for the Aussie green and gold. He added: “It’s a good week where we take a step back from racing each other, put on the Aussie suit and race for our country. It’s always a good laugh. “We want to go there and win it again. We have the depth to do it and we are not going there to finish last – that’s for sure. “Everyone steps it up a level and we are the world champions from the Speedway of Nations. Hopefully we can do it all again.”

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NIELSEN CONTENT WITH STINT AS DANISH NATIONAL BOSS

Speedway GP legend Hans Nielsen says he’s “very happy with the job I have done” as Danish team manager, despite missing out on his 23rd FIM Speedway gold medal. The Professor won four individual world titles, seven FIM Speedway World Pairs crowns and an incredible 11 FIM Speedway World Team Cups with Denmark as a rider. Nielsen collected two FIM Speedway of Nations bronze medals as a coach in 2020 and 2021 but fell short of winning Denmark’s first gold since their 2014 FIM Speedway World Cup victory at Bydgoszcz. Asked if he regretted anything after missing out on world-glory as a manager, Nielsen said: “I don’t know about regrets or whether I could have done anything different. I am not really sure and can’t really put my finger on anything. “I enjoyed it. It has been hard work and a lot of travelling. Sure, it was a lot of pressure, and it was tough getting to know everybody when I first came in. There were a few stumbling blocks along the way. You have to expect that as a manager. “I wouldn’t say there’s one thing I would have done differently. I think I have done the best I can and I am very happy with the job I have done. “We never unfortunately won the Speedway of Nations. But with Leon picking up a couple of silver medals in those years, I helped out as much as I could there, as well as all the others who were in the Grand Prix.” Nielsen admits he takes pride in the Danish training camps he organised as riders headed for sunnier climes to warm up for the season. He said: “One of the great things was going off during the winter on our training camps. That’s one of the big things that have been new since I took over. The lads really enjoy that. “It would have been nice if we could have had the under-21s with us as well, but it’s an expensive trip. With finance not incredibly good at the DMU, we couldn’t all go. But we did get some sponsors helping out over the last few years. It’s a lot of work. You have to get sponsors and you have to get organised for trips, but that’s part of the job.”

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PEDERSEN: LOVE OF RACING KEEPS ME IN THE SADDLE

Triple world champion Nicki Pedersen insists his 2022 injury setback was never going to force him out of the saddle. The Speedway GP legend suffered a badly broken hip and pelvis in a PGE Ekstraliga crash in Grudziadz last June. His injuries could have ended the 45-year-old’s career, but incredibly, Pedersen’s training for 2023 continues apace. The former Eastbourne star is preparing for a remarkably busy season after taking over from Hans Nielsen as Danish team manager ahead of July’s FIM Speedway World Cup in Wroclaw. He’s also set to race for Holsted in his homeland and PGE Ekstraliga side Grudziadz in Poland. On top of that, the Odense-born ace is starring with his family in new Kanal 5 and Discovery+ reality show Team Pedersen, taking viewers behind the scenes of both his racing and life away from the sport. While being Danish boss and a TV star would have been enough for some, Pedersen admits he still loves life on the track and refuses to let injuries call time on his career. He said: “Before when I have broken my neck two times, everybody was thinking ‘okay, he’ll retire now. He has done his bit.’ It would have been a fair way to stop, but I don’t want to. “I still love this sport and it’s my income. It’s part of me. I still feel I put a lot into the sport. I don’t do it because of other people. I do it for myself because I can, because I enjoy it and because I love it. I still feel I have things to put into the sport. “I know the head is alright, as it always has been. I am pretty strong in my head. I haven’t had any doubts as to whether I can race the bike again or not. I haven’t thought about whether it’s going to be painful or not. I am not in any pain, so why should the pain come when I start racing? “Everything is healed up properly, which is good. I don’t have any pain at the moment at all when I am training. I just need to get fit again, get back on the bike and focus on the racing.” Pedersen admits he has had to train smart since breaking his hip. He said: “I usually run a lot. I like running. But at the moment, I am cycling instead. It’s not that I have any pain, but in the long term, it’s about not doing damage and not letting the pain return to the pelvis. “I broke the pelvis, and the left leg went through it. It’s in the right place, but instead of pushing it when you are running, it’s better to put less pressure on the pelvis by cycling.”

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MAN CITY ICON LAPORTE FOLLOWS "CRAZY" BELLEGO'S CAREER

NIELSEN: COACHING DANES WAS FULL-TIME JOB FOR ME

HOLDER: TIME FOR NEXT AUSSIE GENERATION TO SHINE

NIELSEN CONTENT WITH STINT AS DANISH NATIONAL BOSS

PEDERSEN: LOVE OF RACING KEEPS ME IN THE SADDLE